When you think about it...
...there are so many things we don't know about the world, that it's not surprising people jump to paranormal/supernatural conclusions.

Quantum physics, for example. Stuff so small that the very act of looking at it changes it; therefore it can't be studied easily. Particles that rotate when a charge is applied; and so does the particle they're paired with, even when that one is some distance away and has no charge - no-one knows how this works (it must be true though, I read it in a Bill Bryson book).

Dogs and other animals have far more sensitive hearing, sense of smell etc than us; there are many documented cases of animals acting strangely before earthquakes, tsunamis and things like that... it's easy to see how people make the leap to them being able to see people that we couldn't, or whatever.

Now, here's an odd one... if thoughts, memories, etc are nothing more than electrical impulses in the brain, then isn't it possible that some people can pick up on these, the same way as an electrical meter will find cables in walls? I don't mean reading people thoughts and suchlike; just having an awareness of something going on - like when sometimes you feel like you know when someone's going to speak, or you seem to be in sync with someone more some days than others? Similarly, if you're desperate for something, isn't it possible that the areas of your brain generating these signals are overproducing and therefore someone sensitive to all this is going to pick up on it more easily? It doesn't mean they're in contact with the dead or anything, just that they can pick up on that faint cloud of static around you which no-one else even knows exists...

I'm not saying all this as a lead up to telling you all that I believe in ghosts or anything like that; and I'm certainly not telling you this based on any evidence or research; just a sort of open-minded curiosity (but not so open-minded that my brain will fall out)
(Professor Kenny Martin Hmm? What?, Mon 17 Sep 2012, 14:22, 2 replies)

Here's a thought
Nerves work by firing electrical impulses. If you have a whole roomful of people thinking the same thoughts, those are going to be similar electrical impulses. Dozens and dozens of brains, all radiating the same switching hash as they watch the same play, cheer the same team, pray the same prayers or sing the same song.

I wonder how sensitive we are to these pulses? Is this how churches and football stadiums and theatres develop that weird energy?
(gordonjcp, Mon 17 Sep 2012, 19:48, closed)

'zackly

(Professor Kenny Martin Hmm? What?, Tue 18 Sep 2012, 0:36, closed)